Whereas the research about the senses during roman spectacles have proliferated for many years, a paradox remains about the odours. On the one hand, it seems to be accepted by several scholars that the ambient air in the circuses, theatres and amphitheatres during spectacles, especially during the gladiator fights and the hunts, was filled with foul odours, in particular those of blood, faeces and urine of animals, not to mention those would have been emitted by the crowd in the stands (perspiration odours, flatulence…). On the other hand, the testimonies of ancient authors about the ludi and the munera mention rarely explicitly some smells. This study suggests several explanatory factors in order to explain this disparity. According to me, the probability is that the ancient writers reported in their texts only the smells which seemed to them the most unusual in this context. Other scents, probably because they were most frequently perceived during spectacles or in other places, are not related, because they did not retain their attention.